Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 3


In CHOICE #8, I tell Hans that I want to go home.


"Handel dives through the portal and lands on the grass in the park next to school.  The Thomson twins run out of the trees and freeze, staring at Handel with their mouths hanging open.  In the distance a bus is starting.  Only a few minutes have passed since you left.


'Who are they?' asks Hans.


'The Thomson twins'.


Hans frowns.  'Don't you mean triplets?'


'Don't tell them', you whisper.  'They can't count!'


Hans laughs.  'Good luck.  I hope to see you again soon.'


Handel gives a dragon-y grin and blows a puff of smoke at the Thomsons.  Then he and Hans leap through the portal.  Bart stares at the bronze tip of Handel's tail.  'W-w-what was th-that?'  The portal closes with a pop.


'What?'  You frown, pretending you're puzzled.  'Oh, you mean Handel?'


Bart, Bax, and Becks nod, their eyes wide.


'Just a friend of mine.  He's always hanging around'.


'Um, we'd better get to the bus before it leaves for the picnic', Bax says.  'You coming?' asks Becks.  'I can help you with your bag,' says Bart.  'I'm fine, thanks', you say, trying not to smile.


You wonder what the teacher is going to say when she sees Handel's parting gift-the Thomson's soot-covered faces.  She's never going to believe that a dragon blew smoke at them".


"Dragon-y".  Come on, Eileen Mueller!  "Draconic" is a perfectly valid adjective!  Anyway, there's a little more in the epilogue text:


"The teacher gives the Thomson twins a detention for playing with fire and warns them that arson is dangerous.  They're too scared of Handel to ever trouble you again".


So this is milder than the other Good Endings, but the protagonist is still better off than before.  As long as you make it to the "Go to Dragon's Hold" option in CHOICE #5, you're in the clear.  It's weird when a story about looking for dodos is far deadlier than the one with magic and dragons.


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 4


Let's go back to CHOICE #5 and return to Earth with the Thomson "twins" instead of flying to Dragon's Hold.


Mickel tells me to keep up my strongwood exercise regimen.  We land in the park near school, and the Thomson "twins" ask if I'm "all right".


Bart is relieved when the portal disappears, and we all go to the picnic together.


"At the school picnic, Bart, Becks, and Bax organize the other kids into a queue and get you to wrestle them.  The sports teacher cocks an eyebrow, surprised when you win every match, and suggests that you form a school wrestling club.


Bart instantly nominates you as President.  You appoint him as secretary and Becks and Bax as your advisors.  Bax's squirrel becomes team mascot.  'Where did you learn to wrestle?' asks the teacher.  'I've noticed you all use the same techniques'.


Becks grins, 'From a big family friend'.  'Yeah', says Bax, 'You could say he's a giant in the wrestling scene'.  All the kids think he's joking.  They jostle each other to wrestle you.  'Keep to the rules', calls Bart to the kids.  'Wait your turn'.  'No cheating,' says Becks.  'Yeah', laughs Bax, 'or I'll get a huge bronze dragon to eat you'.  Everyone laughs.  Except Bart.  He just looks nervous."


5 Good Endings in a row?  What's wrong with this book?  The audience demands blood! 


There's some epilogue narration for this ending too:


"Now and then, Handel opens a portal, letting you back into Dragons Realm, where Mickel and Giant John teach you more wrestling tricks so you can stay one step ahead of the Thomson twins.  Although you don't ever become best friends with Bart, Becks, and Bax, you do have an unusual bond due to your adventure.  You tutor the Thomson twins in math, causing them to rename themselves the Thomson triplets".


Here's a thought for you:  The Thomson "twins" are bullies because they have to act tough to prevent others from pushing them around when they find out about their mutual learning disability.


Results So Far


5 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Mardoc]

Overall I liked the prison much more than the dodos, though the latter does get some points for sheer craziness. The problem for me with the dodos was the story sprawled geographically AND there was no in-universe continuity as you point out above. In the prison I felt like I got to know certain characters and they had predictable actions, while in dodos it felt almost like different roles being played by the same actors.

I agree.  The prison story set up an interesting situation and setting and looked at how it would react to different approaches. Regardless of the path, the various characters always had the same motivations and similar abilities.  The dodo seemed more like a collection of stories with a dodo theme, rather than one story, with the choices just used to patch the various stories together.

It feels like it was written in parallel by several writers, and then edited together.

Now to see if I can catch up to the present book...

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 5


Let's find out Mickel's strength secrets in CHOICE #4!  Even though we already learned about the strongwood forest in the other route.


Mickel picks me up and carries me on my shoulders.  I'm incredulous, saying "A shoulder ride?  That's your secret?  How can that make me strong?"


Mickel gives similar exposition about the strongwood forest, but some of the dialogue and narration is a bit different.  "You imagine lifting Bart, Becks, or Bax like human-dumbbells, and can hardly stand still".


The energy is compared to an electric eel in this route instead of an electric fence.  Evidently my character likes Popeye:  "It's as if you've eaten a whole field of spinach-without getting green teeth".


I ask why super strength isn't more common if strongwood training is this easy.  Mickel says "Only a few people know the secret.  Some started exercising, but now they can't be bothered".  What explains the name "strongwood", then, if it's relatively unknown?


Mickel's blacksmith parents are named Hanishka and Sturm.  They notice I'm training with their son, and suggest I'll be a good blacksmith too.  Then Hans shows up and offers to take me to Dragon's Hold.


CHOICE #9 is to either stay with Mickel's family, or go with Hans. 


The former option gives us an ending.


I pump the bellows at the forge, and lift heavy swords without difficulty.  Lifting kids is my next exercise, along with assisting Mickel.  After a week, I can throw pigs just like Mickel.  The pigs like this.  One day, I see another world gate, and tell Mickel I have to go home.  As a farewell, I give him my backpack and sneakers.


"With a lump in your throat, you jump through the portal and land on the neatly-mown grass of the park next to school.  A bus is rumbling in the distance.  The twins are exactly where you left them-it's like no time has passed at all.


'Oi, Fart-face!' Bart Thomson yells.


Standing straight, you face the three of them.  Their eyes rove over you.  'Yeah, what do you lot want?'  You feel strong and confident, for the first time in years.  'Um. . .'  Bart stares at your strong arms.  'Um, the teacher wanted us to find you'.  'Yeah', mumbles Becks.  'Hope that's okay'.  'What happened to your shoe?' Bax asks.


'Don't need them', you answer.  'Tough feet'.


'Tough everything', mutters Bart to Becks and Bax.  'How did that happen so fast?'  Becks and Bax shrug.  You smile and sprint to the bus, leaving them to eat your dust."


Another mild Good Ending.  I don't befriend the Thomson "twins" this round, but they aren't bothering me any more.  But what happens if my character gets an injury or something and can't exercise for a couple of days?


In this continuity, it seems the Thomsons don't know about Dragons Realm.  They don't even mention Giant John.


 
Results So Far


6 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 6


There's no alternate ending for CHOICE #9, as going with Hans takes you to CHOICE #6.  This proves that as long as you go with Master Giddi instead of Hans in CHOICE #3, you're guaranteed to get a Good Ending.  Nothing good can come of tampering with the dark arts. . .


When I agree to become a wizard's apprentice, I take a peanut butter sandwich out of my backpack and offer it to Mia.  She says "How did you cut the bread so thin?" and I answer "We just buy it like that".  It's a "greatest thing since sliced bread" joke without the exact line!


Master Giddi likes to show off when he eats his candy bar, because he makes the chocolate hover in front of his mouth first.  Mia tells me "If I'd known you had this stuff in your rucksack, I would've taken it back at the river, before Master Giddi got any of it".  Remember how I kept saying how hard it was to find a nice character in this book?


Mia makes the chocolate hover too, and she decides to melt it by spewing fire from her index finger.  There doesn't seem to be an option to become a chocolate smuggler.  My character has no business sense.


Master Giddi's first practice:  "Stand with your eyes closed and breathe deeply.  Listen to your heart beating.  Feel how it pounds, sending blood around your body.  Now feel how your life energy pulses outward into the world.  Feel your roots to the earth flowing out of your feet, down deep into the ground.  Sense how everything connects".  I don't feel anything for a while.  Mia throws a few flames into a bucket across a clearing.  (Only YOU can prevent wildfires, Mia!)


Mia takes me to a strongwood forest, since it's not just a place for bodybuilding.  They're also "the fastest way to access environmental magic".  Why don't I start a forestry business by planting strongwood trees everywhere?  Or at least buying all the forests and charging tolls?  Mia tells me I need to hug a tree, to which I respond "What?  I'm not a tree hugger!. . .No way, Mia, you can pull your prank on someone else".


Then Mia does this:  "An arrow is embedded in the tree, just in front of your nose".  She says "I bet you lost your focus.  You really should concentrate better".


CHOICE #10 is to train with Mia some more, or run off into the forest.  Since this is an Alternate Ending, I might as well take my chances with the wild animals in the forest.  They're bound to be less cruel than Mia and Master Giddi.


Doing so breaks our Good Ending streak. 


"Upset that Mia has been using you for target practice, you dash into the forest-thrashing through ferns and undergrowth, and running between the trees-anywhere to get away from Mia's stupid arrows.  She's so infuriating.  She scared the pants off you.  What an arrow-flinging, arrogant, unbearable-What was that?


A snort!  From the trees ahead.  A gray-furred creature breaks through the ferns, looming in front of you.  It walks on two legs and is dressed like a warrior.  Its beady red eyes gleam and dark saliva runs down its stubby tusks.  The stench of rotten meat wafts on the breeze, making you gag.  More of the creatures step out from behind trees.  Soon you're surrounded.  The beasts start to growl, their claws extending and retracting.


The ferns and trees all look the same.  Which direction did you come from?  Your knees tremble.  Why did you run off in a strange world without anyone to guide you?  Reaching into your pocket, you grasp Master Giddi's knife, but it's too small.  It'll be useless against those beasts with their long cruel claws. 


And you can't even harness any magic, because you didn't finish your lessons.  Or can you?  Raising your palms, you desperately try to summon a flash-shield, a flame, a spark.  Nothing happens.  Snarling, the monsters close in, bringing the foul stink closer.  Your stomach churns.  You are about to die.  Anything would have been better than this-even Mia's tree-hugging lessons.  Even being pierced by one of her arrows.  Even those giant spiders.


The monsters' snarls are the last thing you hear".


Running away from Mia's arrows and Master Giddi's spell-slinging leads to our first Death.  Master Giddi gave me a knife for protection, but not one that's any good in a fight against not-orcs.  This result may be the player's fault, but Master Giddi still comes off as unreliable.



Results So Far


6 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 7


Staying with Mia in CHOICE #10 gives us some facts about Dragons Realm.  The "not-orcs" from the previous post are called "tharuks".  She acts surprised when I don't know what a "tharuk" is, even though it's obvious I'm from another planet.


A "dog-sized spider" comes out of the trees, but Mia's not afraid of it.  Spiders in Dragons Realm are only deadly when they're small, and become much more friendly when they're huge.  Mia tells me to concentrate on the "energy of the tree and of the forest", and starts playing William Tell.  Except I have a pomegranate on my head instead of an apple.


When my character becomes furious with Mia, sparks fly out from the fingers.  Mia congratulates me, but rushes into a tharuk net trap.  She asks me to run to Master Giddi for help, and hide in the trees for now.  This isn't a magic-proof net, however, and Mia sends a tharuk running when she casts a fire spell.


CHOICE #11 is to either cut the net with my puny knife, or try to get the tharuks addicted to chocolate like everyone else in Dragons Realm.


Mia "hisses" the sentences "Now's not the time for a snack.  Hurry up and hide".  The tharuk thinks he can simply steal the candy from me anyway, and the narration compares him to a "scarier version of Bart Thomson".


The tharuk's eyes change from red to green, and he says "Delicious!  Come on, troop, have some".  Mia is ungrateful and says "What a waste of great food".  She wonders if it contains an "obedience potion" in her usual "hissing" tone.  Other tharuks come and wonder why this troop's members have green eyes.


The Thomson "twins" fall out of a world gate that pops up right in the middle of all this.  Bart keeps the tharuk pinned, and Becks wonders what tharuks are.


Bart bluffs the tharuks into thinking he has 100 men on the other side of the portal.  The Thomsons give the tharuks more chocolate.  Becks warns them not to litter and says "You need to be tidy tharuks and care for the environment".  She grows to liek thaurks, and thinks of them as meaner versions of "kitty-cats". 


CHOICE #12 is to either tell Becks to stay with the tharuks, or use magic to make Bart and Bax bring chocolate to the tharuks.


Let's see what the first option does.


Mia shoots some arrows into trees to serve as landmarks.


"By the time you get to Master Giddi's cottage, Becks has taught the tharuks her favorite boy-band hit.  Their throaty voices echo through the forest in discord, but she doesn't seem to care that  they're off-tune and out of beat.


'Oooh, baby, yeah, yeah, yeah!'


'Beautiful singing, my lovelies', she croons.  You roll your eyes and follow her into the clearing.  Master Giddi laughs and claps his hands.  Their singing stops.  'A green-eyed tame tharuk choir?'


'Hypnotized by chocolate', you mutter.  'Makes them submissive', says Mia.  Giddi's bushy eyebrows pull into a frown.  'And who is this?'  'I'm the boss of the tharuks', says Becks, 'and sister of the chocolate suppliers'.


Bart and Bax arrive, puffing, with two heavy suitcases.  Bart walks straight into a mesmerized tharuk.  'Oof!'  Bart says.  'Got your chocolate.  Plenty more where that came from.'  'I see', says Master Giddi.  Secretly, you're not sure whether he does.


He clears his throat and continues speaking.  'Well, it's good that you're here.  I need some junior apprentices to serve under these two'.  He waves a hand towards you and Mia.  'And make sure you do what they say, or I might just turn you into a tharuk'.  Bart and Bax stare at the furry creatures sitting at Becks' feet and gulp.  You grin.  Master Giddi does understand, after all."


Mundane methods accomplish what tree-hugging could never do:  subdue the tharuks.  Chocolate smugglers from Earth could take over Dragons Realm within a few months at most.


Results So Far


7 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 8


This time, I'll convince Bart and Bax to bring chocolate with magic instead of leaving Becks there.


I send out a few flames to scare Bart and Bax, and they start flinching and sweating.  "Ok, you too.  We have your sister hostage.  You need to bring us back chocolate.  Boxes full of it-if you want to see your sister alive".


Bart "sneers" and asks what'll happen if he and Bax don't care if Becks dies.  Bax kicks him several times.  Bart offers to bring 5 boxes of chocolate, but my threatening tone suggests he should get 6.


Bax's mouth is covered with chocolate once he comes back through the world gate.  He can't resist peppermint.


"Next to Becks, a tharuk starts to get restless.  Is the chocolate wearing off?  Becks pulls a cell phone out of her pocket and looks at Bax.  You're not even sure if it'll work between worlds, but you keep quiet.  'Mom or Dad?' she says.  'Your choice'.


'I'll be right back!'  Bax leaps back through the portal.  More tharuks start to stir.  Some of them growl, deep in their throats.  'Hurry', you yell.


You duck as heavy cartons fly out of the portal, just missing Mia and Becks.  Bart lands on the ground, grinning.  'Chocolate for everyone,'  he calls.  'Where's Bax?'  'The rotter ate the lot', Becks sneers, 'but I fixed him'.  She waves up her cell phone.  'And you'll keep bringing my lovely tharuks more chocolate every week, please, or Mom will be hearing about-'


'Sure, back soon with more', says Bart, leaping back through the portal as Bax passes him landing with a full box.  Becks grins at you and says, 'That should keep them out of trouble."


Another Good Ending where chocolate defeats the orc rip-offs.  But wait, there's more!


"Eventually, Bart and Bax figure out how to bring cocoa beans, palm seeds, and sugar cane into Dragons Realm.  Master Giddi plants and harvests them and makes chocolate, keeping the tharuks under control.  Becks sets up an earth-style cafe serving tharuks chocolate and teaching them circus tricks to keep the locals entertained.  You become an excellent wizard and never need to be worried about being bullied, ever again".


But magic isn't even necessary to farm chocolate!  Witchcraft is overrated in Dragons Realm.



Results So Far


8 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 9


For this episode, I'll try to use my crummy knife to cut Mia out of the net.


She doesn't like the odds:  "That puny little knife?  Help?  Fat chance!"  Mia has a point.  The blade is so small and dull that I'm only 1/4 of the way through the rope.  Mia uses some fire magic to attempt do the rest.  But the flame goes out quickly.


I'm about to sneeze, but guess what my character tries to do to stop that from happening?  "In an effort to keep your sneeze at bay, you remember your lessons on environmental magic and tune into the thrumming of the strongwood trees.  Their energy buzzes through you, but it's no use.  'Aachoo!"


My character gets a critical failure on his spellcasting roll, so the sneeze is loud and the knife drops "onto a tharuk's head".


Decision time!  CHOICE #13 is to either jump onto the tharuks' heads Mario style, or remain in the tree.


When I pick the first option, light comes from my hands and hits Mia and a tharuk.  Mia shoots her own fire at the tharuks, but misses most of the time.  Eventually, she falls to the ground along with the net.  I hand Mia's bow back to her when I find it on the ground.


But magic isn't much good for anything in this book, so we're surrounded by the tharuks.  However, there is some hope.  A world gate opens nearby, and CHOICE #14 is to either bring Mia through it, or try to fight off the tharuks.


Both of us are safe when we dive through the world gate.


"Familiar faces holler, 'Hey, Fart-face', and 'Oi, you'.  Not the Thomson twins!  You thought you were rid of them.  As you scramble to your feet, something zips past your ear.  It's one of Mia's arrows.


Thwack!  The hood of Bart's sweatshirt is pinned to a tree trunk by the arrow.  Mia trains her bow on Bax and Becks.  They hover near Bart, faces pale.  You raise an eyebrow at her.  'Nice work'.  She grins.  'No one calls my friend Fart-face'.  'Plee-ese, let us go', Becks whines.


'Quiet', says Mia, gesturing with her bow, 'unless you want your nose pierced'.  You grin, happy her arrows are no longer trained on you.  Holding your hands high, you let sparks fly from your fingertips.  The twins' eyes grow as huge as watermelons.  Bart unzips his sweatshirt and wriggles his arms out of the sleeves, his hood still pinned to the tree.  The three of them take off, running.


'No more bullying', you call.  'Of course not', they answer, scampering across the park as fast as they can.  You and Mia laugh.  She lowers her bow and places her arrow back in her quiver.  In the distance, a bus starts.  You glance at your watch.  Only a few Earth minutes have passed since you left.  'Hey Mia, how would you like to go on a picnic?'


'What is picnic'?  'Trust me.  I think you're going to love it'.  Together you run to catch the bus".


Mia isn't surprised by Earth technology at all?  Oh well, another standard "return home" Good Ending.


Results So Far


9 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 10


Fighting the tharuks in CHOICE #14 isn't as suicidal as you'd expect.


"Remember your lessons', yells Mia.  Tuning into the environment, you hold up your hands and fling flames at the snarling monsters.  They bat at their fur and advance.  Nocking an arrow, Mia takes aim.  Her face turns pale as a hairy spider on a silken thread drops out of a tree in front of her nose.  Her legs shake and she drops her bow.  'No, Mia!' you yell.  'Focus!'


Holding up a hand, you shoot a blast of flame at the spider, frying it instantly.  'Grab your bow', you yell, ducking an angry swipe from tharuk claws.  Whirling, you fling flames at the beasts.  Mia, coming to her senses, snatches up her bow, and fires at a tharuk.  It yelps and races into the forest.  Her next arrow hits another tharuk's butt as it flees.


Your flames scare the last tharuks into the bushes.  You grin at Mia.  'Not bad', she says.  'Not bad at all, for your first day of training'.  She grins, and you know, when you get home, you'll never have a problem with the Thomson twins again".


An ending where magic is good for something?  They'd still be better off doing push-ups in the strongwood forest instead of hugging trees to tune into the elements.


Results So Far


10 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Dragons Realm Alternate Endings Part 11


Time to find out what happens if I stay in the tree in CHOICE #13 instead of jumping onto the tharuks.


The tharuks start climbing the tree, and I go through a world gate.  I immediately return along with the Thomson "twins" to drag them into the battle.


"Yay', yells Bart.  'Fist fight!'


He swings into action, punching the monster on the nose.  It howls and takes off.  Becks trips another, then leaps on its back, tugging on his tender ears.  The beast flees into the forest, whimpering.  Bax and Bart gang up, attacking the last tharuk together.  You and Mia help, flames flying from your fingers.


The remaining tharuk pleads for mercy, 'Please, please, just let me go.  I'll never bother humans again.'  As the beast runs into the forest, you shoot flames at the ropes suspending Mia's net from the tree.  The net lands on the ground, and Mia struggles out of it, snatching up her bow and training it on the Thomson twins.


'You could've caught me', she says, 'instead of letting me fall'.  Bart, Becks, and Bax glance at the sparks trailing from your fingers, then at Mia's bow.  'Um, all good, now, right?' asks Bart.  'I mean, we did come and help you. . .', he says lamely.  You frown.  'We'll see what the Master Wizard has to say'.  But inside, you're smiling.  The Thomson twins won't be bothering you again".

 
This ending is a little different from the other Good Endings because I fight tharuks, but it's still mostly a standard "humble the bullies" finish.


Results So Far


11 Good Endings

1 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings